A 14-year-old boy suspected of stealing a car with an elderly woman inside was in the custody of the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center Thursday, facing a charge of aggravated vehicular hijacking, Park Ridge police said.

Deputy Police Chief Lou Jogmen said detectives are working with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office to bring charges against the teen, who is accused of stealing a 2015 Chevy Impala from the parking lot of Walgreens, 901 W. Touhy Ave., just before 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Jogmen confirmed Thursday that the 14-year-old is the same Park Ridge boy suspected of stealing four other cars in the city between Feb. 21 and March 5. Three of the cars were left running and unattended and one was left unlocked while parked outside an elementary school, police said.

In Wednesday's theft, an 88-year-old woman was in the backseat of the car at the time, and police say the teen dropped her off at her home before driving into Chicago.

Jogmen said the woman, who had been waiting in the car for a family member to return from the store, was frightened, but not physically harmed during the ordeal.

"There's nothing to lead us to believe she was hurt in any way, other than being very scared," he said.

It was the series of earlier car thefts in the city and the apprehension of three 14-year-old boys earlier this month that led investigators to suspect a connection between those crimes and Wednesday's carjacking, Jogmen said. Following a lead, "the investigators headed down to the area of Belmont and Harlem (avenues) when they saw the [stolen] car and someone driving it," Jogmen said.

Two 14-year-old boys from Park Ridge and one 14-year-old boy from Buffalo Grove are each facing several criminal charges in connection with...

Teens who aren't even old enough to get driver's licenses are accused of taking multiple stolen cars on joyrides over a series of days, Park Ridge police say.

Two 14-year-old boys from Park Ridge and one 14-year-old boy from Buffalo Grove are each facing several criminal charges in connection with...

(Jennifer Johnson)

With assistance from Chicago police, the car was stopped on Austin Avenue near Lawrence Avenue and the 14-year-old boy was taken into custody, police said.

The teen had been last arrested by Park Ridge police March 6 and charged with possession of stolen vehicles, possession of marijuana and fleeing from police, authorities said. He was released back to his parents after his arrest, according to police.

The boy had also been apprehended by Chicago police on Feb. 21 while driving a car that had been stolen from the Summit Mall in Park Ridge that evening, police said.

Police have not commented on the boy's motives.

Two other 14-year-old boys, one from Park Ridge and the other from Buffalo Grove, were also arrested in connection with the car thefts, police said.

All three were students at alternative schools in the area, Jogmen said.

Believing the elderly passenger was still in the car when it was initially spotted, Jogmen said detectives, who were in an unmarked car at the time, "showed great restraint" in holding off on immediately attempting to stop the car until Chicago marked squads could arrive. There was a concern among the officers that the driver was a potential flight risk, which could have put the safety of others in jeopardy, Jogmen said.

WGN-TV

A Park Ridge police officer assisting in catching a carjacking suspect suffered "non life-threatening" injuries after the squad car was involved in a crash with another vehicle in Chicago, officials said.

A Park Ridge police officer assisting in catching a carjacking suspect suffered "non life-threatening" injuries after the squad car was involved in a crash with another vehicle in Chicago, officials said.

(WGN-TV)

Separately, a Park Ridge police officer responding to the area Wednesday to assist police was involved in a crash with another car on Gunnison Street in Chicago, but suffered only minor injuries and has been released from the hospital, Jogmen said. A 10-year-old passenger of the other car has also been treated and released from the hospital, he said.

The driver of the other car was ticketed for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, police said. An internal investigation of the accident will also be conducted by the Park Ridge Police Department, Jogmen said.

A version of this article appeared in print on March 25, 2016, in the News section of the Chicago Tribune with the headline "Cops: Carjacker drops woman, 88, at home before fleeing - 14-year-old suspect linked to 4 other Park Ridge car thefts" —
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